Millennials and the Work Place

Why would anyone even want to hire millennials? Are they worth the trouble?

“We want to make a difference from day one, which is totally huge. We show up, and that’s why we think we should be vice president,” joked Dorsey. “Gen-Y brings a lot of valuable skill sets in terms of thinking outside the box. We don’t know what status quo means, but we know that if something doesn’t work, we’re going to speak up about it.”

Dorsey has words of wisdom for companies like HotSchedules that employ a multitude of Gen-Yers: “When millennials show up at the office, you have to provide specific examples of what you expect. And the reason is, we often lack real world experience. So we may have degrees and big expectations, but we don’t necessarily know what ‘business casual’ means.

“You have to give feedback to millennials at least once a month. Other generations were taught if your boss is talking to you, you’re doing something wrong. Millennials were taught the exact opposite: If your boss isn’t talking to you, you’re doing something wrong.”

HotSchedules boss Pawlikowski swears by his staff. “I think the biggest thing is that they bring a new level of dedication that we haven’t seen in the past.”

And his Gen-Y employees, including Gadoci, may have a better perspective on life than generations before them.

“I want to make sure I’m doing things that make me happy,” Gadoci said. “So if it means maybe starting a little bit later down a long career path, then I’m absolutely going to take that opportunity to enjoy life.”

Perhaps Dorsey sums up the Gen-Y work attitude best: “The truth is, millennials just want something they can put on Facebook!”